Dr Alexandre Benedetto

Senior lecturer in Integrative Physiology

Current Teaching

BIOL100, 231, 300, 400 - Academic tutoring

BIOL141 - Introduction to Laboratory Practice

BIOL364 - Biology of Ageing (Module organiser)

BIOL383 - Innovations in Biosciences

BIOL387 - 3rd year lab project supervisor

BIOL466/469/470 - Msc/Msci lab project supervisor

BIOL467 - Examiner

Research Overview

My team wishes to understand how animals and their microbiome communicate throughout life to maintain homeostasis. To probe such interactions, we study C. elegans and its adult gut microbiota under challenging conditions (infection, neurodegenerative diseases, stress, ageing). Combining genome-wide phenotyping screens, RNAseq and in chip time-lapse imaging, we aim to map the genetic network that governs worm gut-bacteria interactions (BBSRC: BB/S017127/1), with a particular interest in the role of the gut-microbiota-brain axis in thermotolerance (BBSRC: BB/Z517057/1) in worms, but also in bees (collaborating with Dr Phil Donkersley, Lancaster Environment Centre) and fish (collaborating with Dr Kevin Parsons, University of Galsgow).

In parallel, we study the regulation of death in C. elegans in a bid to identify interventions that can halt or delay tissue decay and organismal death, but also to further understanding of the gut-brain axis, which is engaged during the death process. For this, we perform real-time single-cell resolution whole-brain imaging in worms, which allows us to track individual neuronal activites during death (collaborating with Dr. Hari Shroff at the HHMI Janelia farms).

My lab also collaborates with Dr Mort (Lancaster) and Yates (Bath) to improve understanding of cell cycle states and derive in silico tools applicable to developmental and cancer biology (BBSRC24TRT).

Lastly, we develop and apply microfludics and microfabricated devices for the quantitative study of cancer and immune processes (currently collaborating with Dr. Caroline Weight).

My lab heavily relies on live fluorescence microscopy and spectrometry approaches, using genetically encoded biosensors and reporters of cellular activities in bacteria, worms and mammalian cell cultures. For the quantitative analysis of the biomaging and multiomics datasets acquired we now also relies heavily on bioinformatics and computer sciences tools (AI, mathematical models).

Research Grants

2024 - BBSRC (BB/Z517057/1,£1.67M, PI): Mechanisms of gut-brain axis involvement in ectotherm thermotolerance: how the GBA helps animals weather the heat? CoI: Barbara Shih (LU), Philip Donkersley (LU), Luigi Sedda (LU), Jason Chin (QUB), Kevin Parsons (UoG).

2024 - HHMI Visiting scientist grant renewal (~£80k, PI). Host: Hari Shroff.

2024 - BBSRC-LU international parterning award (£50k, PI). Collaborators: Filipe Cabreiro (CECAD, Germany), Christoph Kaleta (CAU, Germany).

2024 - Brazil CNPq grant (~£65k, co-PI) Investigating the Interplay of Organoselenides in Metal Homeostasis and the Gut-Brain Axis for General and Brain Health. UNIPAMPA collaborators: Daiana Silva, Sandra Haas, Juliano Averedo, Elton Denardin.

2024 - BBSRC NorthWestBio DTP PhD scholarship (£112k, coI).

2023 - HHMI Visiting Scientist grant (~£80k, PI) High-resolution spatiotemporal mapping of brain and gut organismal death processes in C. elegans. Host: Hari Shroff.

2023 - BBSRC NorthWestBio DTP iCASE PhD scholarship with Jason Chin (QUB) and Fera Sciences (C. Sprason,£112k, PI).

2022 - NERC Cross-Disciplinary Environmental Discovery Science Fund (£15k, PI) Establishing tractable models to study the effects of environmental change on the gut microbiotas and population dynamics of ecologically critical invertebrate species.

2022 - BBSRC Brazil partnership award (BB/W018551/1, £47k, PI): New Bioactives for a Healthy Gut, targeting the gut microbiota.

2022 - Flexible Talent Mobility Award at Earlham Institute for Alejandra Zarate-Potes (FTMA, £6.5k, coI): Optimising C. elegans-bacterium dual-RNAseq.

2021 - BBSRC Network grant (BB/W018322/1, £200k, founding member, co-wrote proposal): Harnessing knowledge of lifespan biological, health, environmental and psychosocial mechanisms of cognitive frailty for integrated interventions.

2021 - Royal Society research grant (£20k, co-I, PI Richard Mort): Building & optimisation of stage-mounted stretch apparatus to investigate physical forces in melanoblast behaviour.

2019 - BBSRC (BB/S017127/1, £741k +£20k LU match funding, PI) Integrated multiomics of host-bacterium interactions during gut infections in C. elegans.

2019 - NWCR Equipment Round (£50k +£56k LU match-funding, Joint PIs Mort, R, Benedetto, A.) Spinning Disc Confocal Microscope for superfast multichannel live imaging.

2019 - North West Cancer Research Development Fund. (£15k, Joint PIs: Mort, R, Benedetto, A, Fielding, A.) Investigating the thermosensitivity of cancer cell division dynamics: toward cancer thermotherapies?

2018 - Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Sciences (£100k+£11k LU match-funding, PI). Neuromodulation of death in C. elegans.

2018 - NWCR Capital Equiment Fund (£18k +£18k LU match-funding, PI). A microfluidic temperature control platform for cancer biomedicine.

PhD Supervision Interests

I can generally welcome PhD and MSc by Research students interested in studying: (1) the spatiotemporal dynamics of gut host-microbiota interactions in C. elegans, (2) organismal death in C. elegans (3) whole-brain GCaMP imaging in C. elegans (4) the role of intercellular variability in cancer progression (in collaboration with Dr Richard Mort). (5) cell bioenergetics in cancer and ageing (collaborations with Dr Richard Mort and Dr Shefeeq Theparambil) (5) epithelium tissue/organoid-on-chip (collaboration with Dr Caroline Weight) Key areas for research projects in 2025-2026: (1) Investigating brain activity at death in C. elegans (collaboration with HHMI Janelia Farms, expect short/longer-term visits there). (2) A fluorescent microbiota model for live monitoring of gut-microbe interactions during C. elegans ageing (collaboration with CAU Kiele in Germany, expect short visits there). (3) Probiotics to improve animal thermotolerance (collaboration with QUB and Glasgow U, expect short visits there). For initial enquiries, students should email me at: a.benedetto@lancaster.ac.uk, referring to a specific MRes or PhD project flavor in the email subject. CVs welcome.

Selected Publications

C. elegans Eats Its Own Intestine to Make Yolk Leading to Multiple Senescent Pathologies
Ezcurra, M., Benedetto, A., Sornda, T., Gilliat, A.F., Au, C., Zhang, Q., van Schelt, S., Petrache, A.L., Wang, H., de la Guardia, Y., Bar-Nun, S., Tyler, E., Wakelam, M.J., Gems, D. 20/08/2018 In: Current biology : CB. 28, 16, p. 2544-2556.e5. 13 p.
Journal article

New label-free automated survival assays reveal unexpected stress resistance patterns during C. elegans aging
Benedetto, A., Bambade, T., Au, C., Tullet, J.M., Monkhouse, J., Dang, H., Cetnar, K., Chan, B., Cabreiro, F., Gems, D. 1/10/2019 In: Aging Cell. 18, 5, 10 p.
Journal article

Coupling of Rigor Mortis and Intestinal Necrosis during C. elegans Organismal Death
Galimov, E.R., Pryor, R.E., Poole, S.E., Benedetto, A., Pincus, Z., Gems, D. 6/03/2018 In: Cell Reports. 22, 10, p. 2730-2741. 12 p.
Journal article

Spatiotemporal control of gene expression using microfluidics
Benedetto, A., Accetta, G., Fujita, Y., Charras, G. 7/04/2014 In: Lab on a Chip. 14, 7, p. 1336-1347. 12 p.
Journal article

Anthranilate fluorescence marks a calcium-propagated necrotic wave that promotes organismal death in C. elegans
Coburn, C., Allman, E., Mahanti, P., Benedetto, A., Cabreiro, F., Pincus, Z., Matthijssens, F., Araiz, C., Mandel, A., Vlachos, M., Edwards, S., Fischer, G., Davidson, A., Pryor, R.E., Stevens, A., Slack, F.J., Tavernarakis, N., Braeckman, B.P., Schroeder, F.C., Nehrke, K., Gems, D. 23/07/2013 In: Plos Biology. 11, 7, 17 p.
Journal article

In vivo collective cell migration requires an LPAR2-dependent increase in tissue fluidity
Kuriyama, S., Theveneau, E., Benedetto, A., Parsons, M., Tanaka, M., Charras, G., Kabla, A., Mayor, R. 7/07/2014 In: Journal of Cell Biology. 206, 1, p. 113-127. 15 p.
Journal article

Investigating neurogenetic determinants of organismal death processes in C. elegans.
11/06/2025 → 05/08/2025
Research

Mechanisms of gut brain axis involvement in ectotherm thermotolerance: "how the gut brain axis helps animals weather the heat?"
17/03/2025 → 16/09/2028
Research

High-resolution spatiotemporal mapping of brain and gut organismal death processes in C. elegans
15/07/2024 → 14/07/2026
Research

Investigating the Interplay of Organoselenides in Metal Homeostasis and the Gut-Brain Axis for General and Brain Health
01/07/2024 → 01/07/2027
Research

LU BBSRC 2024 International Partnership Fund
01/04/2024 → 29/06/2024
Research

Designing bacterial gut communities to improve bee resilience to climate change
01/10/2023 → 30/09/2027
Research

High-resolution spatiotemporal mapping of brain and gut organismal death processes in C. elegans.
17/07/2023 → 17/07/2024
Research

Targeting the gut-brain axis to improve animal resilience to a warming climate
17/04/2023 → 31/07/2023
Research

Brazil-UK Partnership: New Bioactives for a Healthy Gut, targeting the gut microbiota
01/06/2022 → 31/05/2026
Research

Building and optimisation of a microscope stage mounted stretch apparatus to investigate the role of physical forces in melanoblast behaviour
01/11/2021 → 31/10/2022
Research

Integrated Multiomics of Host-bacteria Interactions during C. elegans Gut Infections
31/01/2020 → 30/04/2025
Research

NWCR Equipment grant: Spinning Disc Confocal Microscope for superfast multichannel live imaging
01/10/2019 → 31/03/2020
Research